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HomePage 7: Historical Events In December - 21
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
1988 Bob Steele, [Robert Bradbury], dies after short illness at 60 
1989 Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed 12/25)
1989 US invades Panama and ousts General Noriega.
1989 Jan Cikker, composer, dies at 78
1990 Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, American aeronautical engineer (Lockheed Skunk Works; b. 1910)
1991 95 share in Madrid Spain $1.3 billion lottery (#47996).
1991 El Sayid Nosair acquitted of killing Meir Kahane.
1991 Ted Turner and Jane Fonda wed.
1992 Albert King, US blues singer/guitarist (Crosscut Saw), dies at 71.
1993 Philip Christison, British general (Rangoon), dies at 100
1994 Dean Rusk, US Sect of State, dies at 85
1995 Robert Francis Vere Heuston, professor of law, dies at 72.
1996 Margaret E Rey, author of children's books, dies at 90.
1997 Bruce Woodcock, boxer, dies at 76.
2006 Australian cricketer Shane Warne announces his retirement from the sport
2006 Saparmurat Niyazov, the dictator of Turkmenistan dies unexpectedly, sparking world concern over a possible power vacuum and instability in this energy-rich country.
2007 Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest-ever Monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.
2007 The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the Schengen border-free zone
2010 The inaugural total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern winter solstice and Southern summer solstice since 1638 takes place
2012 39 people are killed in violent clashes in Kenya
2017 UN General Assembly votes 128 to 9 to denounce US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital
2018 Tennis Australia announces a 10-point tie break to be implemented in Australian Open when deciding set reaches 6-6; takes place of 2-game advantage final sets
2018 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 22445 after its worst week since 2008
2020 [COVID-19 pandemic] 36 cases are reported on the Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme in the Chilean Antarctic Territory, marking the inaugural infections in Antarctica, the last continent to report infections
2020 A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.
2023 The European Court of Justice rules that threats by FIFA and UEFA to sanction football clubs that wish to join the European Super League are unlawful.
2023 The deadliest mass shooting in the Czech Republic's history occurs at a Prague university, with 15 killed and 25 others wounded
